Rotary machine



l. H. wlLsEY ROTARY MACHINE July 2, 1929.

F-iled Oct. 30, 1926 Wm y* mi f5 W Z K l. Z

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'Patented July 2,4929.

UNITED STATES PAT-ENT OFFICE.

vIIRTEN H. WILSEY, OIEv CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO JAMES B. TUTHILL, OF

CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

ROTARY MACHINE.

Application led ctober 30, 1926. Serial No. 145,127.

The present invention relates to improvements in rotary machines, particularly machines of the type disclosed' in my copending applications Serial No. 94,149 filed March 12, 1926, and Serial No. 133,349 filed Sep-4 r pressure in one of the chambers in the machine. If said surfaces are vented to the inlet side of the machine, excessive pressures in the discharge side of the machine will cause the lands to move away' from the rotor to permit an automatic pressure relief by by-'ppassing fluid from the discharge-"side to the lnlet side. If said surfaces are vented to the discharge side of the machine, pressure acting on the opposite ends of the lands will be balanced, thereby permitting the handling of heavy liquids having thick natural films, such as molasses. The bal-` anced'lands will locate and hold the proper film for the liquid that is being handled, regardless of the existing pressures, and will thereby prevent the dissipation of the excessive power commonly Wasted in cutting this natural film. If t e outer end surface of one land is exposed to the pressure in one chamber and the corres ondmg surface of the other land is expose to the pressure in the other chamber, excessive pressures will be relieved when the punp is operating in either direction. l

Another object is to provide a novel pump in which t-he floating vented lands can be readily reversed to obtain any one of the three above mentioned conditions. Y

Still another object resides in the provision of floating lands of the above character in a .rotary geai` machine which is adjustable to vary the direction of flow and the volume of flow in either direction. The venting of the lands if both are vented to one side of the ump can be reversed wit-hout reversing the ands, by' adjusting the pinion and segment of the pump through approximately 180.

A further object is to provide a new and improved rotary gear machine which is adjustable to vary the direction offlow and the lvolume of flow in either direction, and 1n which there is no hydraulic lock tending to resist this adjustment.

A .general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pump having lands which are highly resistant to wear, which follow the contour of the rotor as wear occurs, which permit grit, chips and other small foreign particles to pass through, which ermit the proper film thicknesses of the di erent liquids that ma be handled, and which result in a high e ciency and a minimum power output for a given capacity.

Further objects Iand advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinall sectional view of a rotary machine embodyingV the features of my invention, said view being taken along line 1--1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is `a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fi 2, but

showing the operating elements o the machine adjusted through 180 degrees.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the .outer end surfaces of the lands vented respectively to opposite sides of the pump.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentarysectional view of a modified form of the pum in which the vent passage is formed in t e wall of the casing instead of the side of the land.

Vhile the' invention is susceptible of variou's modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawin s and will herein describe in detail the pre erred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do is supported by a suitable base 11, and which preferably is cylindrical in shape. The interior of the casing is also cylindrical in shape and communicates at opposite sides with vfluid admission and discharge ports 12 and 13, which are adaptedto be connected toA connected to a suitable source of power (not.

shown). The shaft 21 extends outwardly through a bore 22 in the support 1l, and through a packing box 23 suitably secured to the end of the support by screw bolts'24. The rotor.- is substantially smaller in diameter than the'interior of the casing 10, and therefore defines with the latter 'an annular space which is divided by the heads 14 and 15 to provide the chambers 16 and 17 referred to in the foregoing. The rotor comprises a circular plate 25 having a hub 26 which fits into a recess 27 in the inner face of the head 18 and which is rigidly mounted on the inner end of the shaft 21. Formed on the inner face and at the periphery of the plate 25 are a plurality of laterally projecting circumferentially spaced internal ear teeth 28 of any suitable -forin separated y spaces 29. The spaces 29, upon rotation of the shaft 21, are adapted to be moved successively across the lands 14 and 15 from communication with one to the other of the chambers 16 and 17.

Rotatably mounted in a circularrecess 30 in the inner face of the head.19 is a carrier 31 which inl the present instance is inthe form of a circular disk coaxial with the shaft 21S On its inner face the carrier 31 is provided with a pin 32 which extends inwardly between the teeth 28 and eccentrically of the shaft 21. Mounted on a sleeve 33 on the pin '32 is an idler pinion 34 having teeth 35. meshing at one side of said idler pinion with the adjacent teeth 28 o-fihe rotor. The other side of the pinion 34 is spaced from the teeth 28 on the remote side of the rotor, and is separated therefrom by a crescent-shaped pro'ection or partition 36 extending inwardl rom the cariier 31 and bearing against the inner ends ofthe teeth 28 and the outer ends of the teeth 35 through approximately 180. The outer and inner curved surfaces of the partition 36 thus conform respectively to the curvatures ofthe internal gear and of the pinion 34.

uid admission and discharge chain- -10f into the discharge chamber 17.

shaft 38 next-to the lever 39, and upon being tightened-will clampfthe carrier 31 in adjusted position against the inner face of the head 19.

The lands 14 and 15 are movable in the casing 10, and hence are separate from said casing. It is therefore possible to caseharden the lands and to make them of material highlyresistant to wear, thereby prolonging the life and eliciency of the pump. While the lands may be of any suitable form and ma'y be' mounted in the casing 10 in any suitable manner, I prefer to provide lands in the form of blocks (see Fig. 5) which are slidably mounted in suitable guideways 41 and 42 for movement toward and from the rotor. Each land is .shaped to conform to the curvature of the rotor, and is yieldingly held in engagement with the periphery of the rotor b a spring 43. In the present instance, eac spring 43 disposed in a depression 44 inthe outer surface of the land, and is mounted on a pin 45 on the inner end of a plug 46 threaded into a bore 47 opening through the wall of the casing 10. The plugs 4G constitute means for adjusting the tension of thesprings. This tension should be such as to compensate for the weight of the lands, and the vacuum in the inlet side 4of the pump.

In Figs. 2 and 3, each land is formed on. one side with a longitudinal notch or passage 48 which ser'ves` to vent the interior of the guideway 4 1 or 42 to one s'ide of the casing. In Fig. 5 a vent passage 49 is formed-in the side of the guideway. In Fig. 2, the vent passages 48 open into the admission chamber 16. The lands may be reversed so thatthevent passages 48 will open The saine effect canbe obtained without reversing the lands,- by adjusting the pinion 34 and the segment 36 through 180 as shown in Fig. 3. The vent passages 48 in Fig. 3 communicate with the discharge chamber 16.` In Fig. 4,

the vent passages. 48 communicate respec-` i tively with the admission chamberl and discharge chamber 17 i While I have shown the movable lands in a rotary machine of the gear type, it is to be understood that in so far as this phase of the invention is concerned, such lands may be incorporated in any engine or pump in which a rotor carries fluid past a land.

By providing lands yieldingly engaging the rotor; it will be seen that grit, dirt, and other foreign substances can pass through the machine without causing excessive wear. In machines with rigid lands, after Wear occurs leakage often results. The lands provided in the present instance may be made of material highly resistant to wear, are selfseating and will therefore follow the con tour of the rotor as wear occurs. Since the lands will yield to permit the natural film thickness to exist, the machine is well adapted for different kinds of liquids having different ilm thicknesses. This results in af considerable saving of power since the power required to break the natural film of a liq- 17 and out -of the port "13. In the construcv tion shown in Fig. 2 in which the vent passages 48 open into the chamber 16, if the pressure in the chamber 17 is built up by outside piping, valves and the like `(not shown), the pressuresacting against the ini ner and outer ends of the lands will become unequal. If the pressure inthe chamber 17 rises to a predetermined value suiiicient to overcome the springs 43 and the pressure in the chamber 16, it will cause the lands to move away from the periphery of the rotor, thereby relieving the pressure in the chamber 17 by by-passing fluid therefrom past the lands to the admission chamber. The spring tension should compensate for the vacuum in the chamber 16. The redetermined maximum pressure can be adjusted by adjusting the compression in the springs 42S. It will be evident that by this construction any desired pressure.1nay be maintained without the use of outside pressure regulating valves, and that the lands in themselves constitute a relief valve for the pump pressures. If the vent passages 48 open into opposite sides o'fthe casing 10, as Shown in Fig. 4, the lands will permit relief of excessivie pressures irrespective of the direction in which the pump is operated.

If the vent passages 48 communicate with the discharge chamber,' as theydo in Fig. 3 where the pinion and -segment have been adjusted through 180, the pressures on opposite sides of the lands, disregarding the small pressure of the springs 43, will beequal and will substantially balance each other` thereby stabilizing wear, leakage, running friction, etc. This arrangement permits;

the pump to handle heavy liquidsv such as molasses having thick natural films, since' the lands will locate and hold" the natural film thickness of any liquid that may be handled.

|By providing floating lands, adjustment of the pinion 34 and the segment 36 to adjust the flow through the pump or enfrine can be easily and quickly accomplished, s1nce the hydraulic locking' effect` which normally takes place principally at the center of lthe land 14 in Fig. 2 and land 15 in Fig. 3 is eliminated.

I claim as my invention: 1. A rotary machine having, 1n combination, a casing having 1nlet and outlet ports movement to and from the periphery of said rotor, means Jfor pressing said lands into' engagement with said rotor, means for venting the inner ends of said guideways past said lands to the interior of said casing, and

means for adjusting said pinion and said partition into any angular position to 0btain any desired flow up to a maximum, or any `direction of flow.

2. rotary machine having, in combination, a casing having inlet and outlet passages, arotor in saidcasing, said rotor having internal gear teeth, an idler. pinion engaging saidv teeth, a crescent partition between one side of said pinion and said teeth,

means for adjusting said idler pinionand said partition to vary the flow through said machine, and a pair of movable lands mountedin said casing between said inlet and outlet passages, the backs of said movable lands being exposed to the pressure Vin one of said passages.

3. A rotary machine having, in combination, a casing having inlet and outletports `and having a pair of diametrically opposed guideways in its peripheral wall on a line between said ports, a rotor `having internal gear teeth at itsperiphery in said casing, a pinion mounted eccentrically of said yrotor and meshing with said teeth, a partition between one side of said pinion and said teeth,

a pair ot lands slidably mounted in said guideways for movement to and from the periphery of said rotor, means for venting the l inner ends of said guideways to the interior of said casing, and means for adjusting said pinion and said partition into any angular position to obtain any desired flow up to a maximum.

4. A lrotary machine `having, in combination, a casing having inlet and outlet ports, a rotor in said casing, said rotor having internal gear teeth, an idler pinion engag' ing said teeth, a cut-oli partition between one `side of said pinion and said teeth, means for adjusting said idler pinion and said partition to'vary the flow through said machine, and a. pair of movable lands mounted in said casing' between said inlet and outlet passages.

5. A rotary machine having, inI combination, a casing having inlet and outlet ports, a rotor in said casing, said rotor having internal gear teeth, an idler pinion engaging said teeth, a cut-oitl partition between one side of said pinion and said teeth, means for adjusting said idler pinion and said partition to vary the fiow through said mas chine, and a pair of movable lands mounted in said casino" between said inlet and outlet passages, the backs of said movable lands being exposed to the pressure in one of said passages,

6. A machine healing,` in combination, a casing having admission and discharge pas- 'sages in opposite sides and having a radial 7. A machine having, in combination, a

casing-having admission and discharge passages in opposite sides and having a guideway in its peripheral wall between said passages, a rotor for conveying fluid from one passage to the other, a land slidably mount-y ed in said guideway and adapted to engage the periphery of said rotor, means for pressing said `land into engagement with said rotor, and means continuously venting the inner end of said guideway to one side of said casing to expose the back of said land to the pressure in one of said passages.

8. A machine having, in combination, a hollow casing having an inlet passage and a discharge passage, a rotor in said casing,

said rotor having a plurality of gear teeth,

a second gear member meshing with said rotor and adapted to force the liquid out of the spaces between the said gear teeth when said spaces open to said discharge passage, and a land slidably mounted in said casing and engaging said rotor opposite said gear member.

9. A machine having, in combination, a casing having admission and discharge passages and having a pair ot diametrically opposed guideways between saidpassages, a rotor having internal gear teeth on one side in said casing, a gear pinion mounted eccentrically of said rotor and meshing with said teeth., d partition between said pinion and said teeth, and a pair oi movable lands slidably mounted in said guideways.

10. A machine having, in combination, a casing having admission and discharge passages in opposite sides and having a radial guideway in its peripheral Weilheim-veen said passages, a rotor for conveying duid from one passage to the other, a land slidably mounted in said guideway and. adapted to engage the periphery of said rotor, means for pressing said land into engagement with said rotor, and a 'venting groove in one side of said land connecting the inner 'end of said guideway to one side of said casing. to expose the back of said land to the pressure in one of said passages.

11. A machine having, in combination, a hollow casing having an inlet passage and a discharge passage, a rotor in said casing, said rotor having a plurality of gear teeth, a second gear member meshing withsaid rotor and adapted to force the liquid out of the spaces between the said gearV teeth when said spaces open to said discharge passage, and a land movably mounted in said casing and engaging said rotor opposite said gear member, the outer surface of said land being eX- posed to the pressure in one of said passages, and said land being reversible to expose said surface to pressure in the other of said passages.

12. A machinehaving, in combination, a casin having admission and discharge cham ers and having a pair of opposed guideways between said chambers, a rotor having internal gear teeth on one side in said casing, a gear pinion mounted eccentrica-Il v of said rotor and meshing with said teeth, a partition between said pinion and said teeth, a pair of movable lands slidably mounted in said guideways, and vent passages connecting the inner ends of said guideways to said admission chamber.

13. A machine having, in combination, a casing having admission and discharge chambers and having a pair of opposed guideways between said chambers, a rotor having internal gear teeth on one side in said casing, a gear pinion 'mounted eccentrieally of said rotor and meshing with said teeth,

`a partition between said pinion and said teeth, a pair of movable lands slidably mounted in said gudeways, and vent passages connecting the inner ends of said guideways to said discharge chamber.

14. A machine having` in combination, a casing having admission and discharge chambers and having a pair of opposed guideways between, said chambers, a rotor having internal gear teeth on one side in said casing, a gear pinion mounted eccentrically of said rotor and meshing with said teeth, a. partition between said pinion and said teeth, a pair of movable lands slidably Imoiinted in said 'guideways, and ventpassages connecting the inner ends et said guideways respectively to said admission and discharge chambers.

15.A machine having, in combination, a casing having admission and discharge passages and having a air ot diametrically opposed guideways 4`etween said passages, a rotor having internal gear teeth on one side in said casing, a gear pinion mounted eccentrically of said rotor and meshing and ltwo vent passages for connecting thef inner ends of said guideways to said casino' one vent passage extending along one sidi;

of each land, the parts :formed with said vent passages being reversible to selectively connect each guideway with either of said 10 first mentioned passages.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

IRVEN H. WILSEY. 

